The initial setup was simple, with the usual connection of ethernet wires. The 820L has the standard plug for the internet from the modem, and then the 4 ethernet ports for wired connections- in my case I plug in directly a notebook, my Brother 2270DW laser printer as well as the adapter for a Powerline adapter (which is my backup network when the WiFi fails- more to come on this). The 820L setup in about 10 minutes. Based on something I had read elsewhere, I decided to name the new 820L as the same name as my previous router, and reuse the same password. This move proved a seriously lousy idea, and I don't recommend it at all.
I did the setup of the 820L using the included configuration tools, and let that occur manually. When it comes to most things computer, I divide users into amateur, intermediate and expert. I am generally an intermediate at many tasks. After going through the Dlink configuration screens, I thought that when it comes to networking it is either amateur or expert, and I don't see much middle ground. I also joke that I know just enough to get myself into trouble when it comes to setting up a router, a statement that proved quite true in this situation.For whatever reason, the 820L worked fine for the first month, and then decided to go on the fritz, and would lose the WiFi connection every 2 to 3 minutes. This occurred across multiple devices, including an Android tablet, both Windows 7 and 8 computers, as well as an iPhone 5S. I deduced that this was likely a hardware issue as I had not reconfigured anything, and assumed an RMA would be needed.
I attempted to get in touch with Dlink. Their website listed 3 methods: phone, an email tool, and chat via their site. I tried the 800 number, but after navigating their phone trees "Press 1 for router issue, 2 for wireless camera, 3 for access point, etc, etc, blah blah," it stated there was a 35 minute wait on more than one occasion so that was out. I next decided to go the chat route via their website, but this proved a total waste of time. This was because the chat was not live, and when you entered a problem, just a predone Q&A was spit out, with no mechanism to get more specific info. Lastly, I went the email route, and that gave me a series of emails that requested:
- To make sure encryption is AES
- To make sure WPA2-Personal is selected
- Try various channels for the WiFi
- Make sure the firmware is the latest
I did all of the above, and none of it got the router working, and I daresay made it worse. I was ready to toss the 820L in the trash and move on, but I figured it deserved at least a phone call, which I finally found some time for.
I ended up on the phone with a helpful person, despite being a little difficult to understand. She had me read the screens back to her. A word of advice is that when calling, you need the broken router connected, and the computer plugged into it, which I accomplished via my Powerline network. I also had a separate notebook handy to be able to connect wirelessly.
She rapidly figured out the real culprit was that my 2.4 GHz, and my 5 GHz networks were both named the same. She walked me through renaming the 5 GHz one, but the password could be the same for both. After a quick reset, the 820L was a functional router! I have been using it for a few days now, and the connection is stable. I am not sure why with 802.11ac why it comes up as 2 different networks from the same router, as with 802.11n this was not an issue.
Jonas
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